V ranked sixth in losses (Powers). When people heard news of this Irish brigade they realized that the Irish were indeed true Americans who were willing to put their lives on the line to preserve their new country.Still, there were many Protestants who did not want the Catholics to have any power in government. A movement started to put down the rise of the Catholics, at the head of the movement were the "Know Nothings," a group named because when they were asked about their cause the replied "I know nothing" (Walt). These people wanted to limit immigration and only give the vote to those, which were born in America. This movement did not last too long because, the Irish, with their huge numbers already had the vote and the Know Nothings were soon gone.Soon the Irish were spread all throughout the United States, many of them on the frontier, building railroads west, and following the gold rush. One man John Mackay, rose up from being a lowly miner to one of the richest men in the world when he discovered a huge gold deposit. The most remarkable aspect of John Mackay was that he never left his friends behind because of his money, many times he gave fellow miners needed money. He was a model of many Irish beliefs, to never leave your friends behind, and always remember where you came from (Walt).The Irish men became known for hanging out in the Taverns with friends after a hard day's work. At these Taverns the men sang, told stories, and sometimes fought. Out of these barroom brawls came bareknuckle fighting, the precursor to boxing. John L. Sullivan from Roxbury, Massachusetts, soon became well known for his triumphs in the ring. One of his matches, against John Kilrane, lasted 75 rounds until Sullivan triumphed. Sullivan made a huge impact on the Irish, they finally had a name to look up too, a role model. As for everyone else, it became a privilege to be Irish, many non-Irish fighters changed to Irish surnames (Walt).In th...
